This brand new text examines power and inequalities and how these are central to our understanding of how policies are made and implemented. It introduces the concepts and theoretical approaches that underpin the study of the policy process, reflects upon key developments and applies these the practice of policy formulation and implementation.

This title was first published in 2000: Drawing on a variety of research, including two surveys of councillors undertaken in Scotland, England and Wales, qualitative interviews and the re-analysis of existing data, this book aims to contribute towards research on local government councillors by exploring and developing the idea of "careers" of elected councillors and by examining their ambitions and the types of posts held during their period of office. In particular, the book examines the...

Focusing on the policy approaches of Conservative governments since 2015, this book examines key social policy areas including education, health, housing, employment, children and young people, and more.Respected social policy researchers explore the degree to which the positions and policies of recent Conservative governments have differed from the previous Coalition government (2010–15). They consider the extent to which austerity has continued and the influence of other policy e...